anthroposis
by inallmybitterness
Summary: Yato never thought human nature was so contagious. (alternatively: a trip through the main trio's minds as Hiyori gets pregnant with some demigod baby. post-canon/AU-ish; Yatori-centric; also on AO3 under the same title.) CHAPTERS POSTED: 3/4. WARNING FOR MAJOR MANGA SPOILERS.
1. Chapter 1 - signs

**A/N: Remember that one silly fic I wrote featuring the Yatori twin babies. Remember how I said I had a huge file exploring how the hell that happened and what their reactions to it were.** **Welp. Here's the thing.**

**As I said, I don't think this is entirely possible in CANON, so you can consider it an AU sort of thing. I do want to write more Yatori family shenanigans though, and I do think exploring Yato and Hiyori's characters (and a bit of Yukine's, later on) when faced with something so unexpected would be fun. SO HERE WE ARE.**

**This idea was first prompted by ParadiseAvenger's M-rated one-shot on AO3, "Weight of a God". It's got some pretty cool headcanons (and porn, obv) and I recommend y'all check it out.**

**Warnings for this chapter: brief mentions of sex, abuse (talking about Yato's trash dad) and abortion. In case there's anything else I forgot, please let me know.**

* * *

The topic was first approached soon after Hiyori and Yato had their first time together. She had been surprised to see him pulling a condom out of his pocket (if gods didn't have to shit as he once oh-so-interestingly pointed out, why would they worry about other bodily fluids/waste?), but she was obviously not going to interrupt that moment just to ask. If he, being the way he was, had bothered to carry some, it was only for the better. She made a mental note to ask him about it later, though.

She asked about it the day after – both because she had been too sleepy and sluggish after they were done, and because he was more clingy and cuddly than usual, just to that point it simultaneously annoyed her and gave her emotional diabetes.

"Hey, Yato," she asked as she sat on a stool in the corner of the kitchen and watched as he made breakfast. It was the housekeeper's day off and her parents were out for the weekend, so he had insisted on it. "Why did you use a condom last night?"

He turned away from the pot where he was making miso soup, his confused blue eyes meeting her inquiring brown ones. "Isn't that common sense, Hiyori?" he said, before a teasing expression she had seen way too many times dawned on his face. "Didn't your parents teach you about the birds and the bees? Or could it be that you want to have babies already?"

"Of course they did, you idiot! And I obviously don't; I'm just a college freshman!" She folded a paper napkin into a ball and jokingly threw it at him. He dodged it, though his snicker died when he saw the ball falling into the soup he was preparing with so much love. "But that's what got me about it. Can gods even have children with humans?" Her eyes widened in a (mock) shocked expression. This time, it was her turn to tease him. "Or maybe you have some sort of sexually transmitted blight?!"

"That's not how blights spread!" the god protested, putting the soaked napkin away. He had luckily managed to fish it out of the pot with a spoon. "Your first assumption is right, though. It's not very common here in Japan, but gods actually can impregnate humans."

"Here in Japan?" she repeated, blinking curiously at him. "Wait. So all those stories about Greek gods and demigods are real?!"

"Yep. Not just the Greeks, though. Gods exist all over the world, and many other pantheons have stories of deities having kids with humans. Many don't have specific stories like the Greeks, but it's been known to happen. It all depends on what they're born like."

"What do you mean?"

Yato sighed. This was going to be a long one. Talking Heavenly Sex Ed 101 and International God History wasn't really what he thought the morning after his first night with Hiyori would be like. He thought it would be all about the fluff and the afterglow and cuddles (he had been in an extra-lovey mood as of late, after all). But then again, if that's what she wanted to talk about, he was not going to object.

"The way gods are varies for each pantheon, even if there are many similarities. It's kind of like different species of the same animal." He turned off the stove and started fussing the drawers for dishes. This time, she got up to give him a hand. No way she'd just sit down and let him do absolutely everything. Besides, he barely remembered where her family kept their tableware. The doofus always nagged food straight from the fridge with his hands anyway. "It seems the same goes for demigods. In some pantheons, they're born as extraordinary humans, are regarded as heroes, and some even become gods when they die. In others, they just turn out to be very successful people, and royal families actually descend from gods in some countries." His face and voice turned serious all of a sudden. Hiyori stopped on her tracks and looked up at him as she noticed the change in his posture. "In others, they're born as monsters."

She felt her eyes widening and her grip loosening on the dishes she carried. She managed to recollect herself in time to save them from shattering to the ground.

"That's not the case with us, though!" he added, back to his lighthearted tone, as he scratched the back of his head. "Demigods are already pretty unusual here in Japan, probably because of those differences to other pantheons too, but the few ones I've heard about were born as normal humans." He pressed the side of his hand close to his mouth and lowered his voice, as if sharing top-secret information with her. "Even the first Japanese Emperor was a descendant of some pretty big figures up in the heavens, you know? _Soooo_ there isn't much to worry about!" He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek affectionately. For the second time in a few seconds, she nearly dropped the dishes. "So we can still have cute babies if that's what Hiyori wants!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure!" she replied as she freed herself from his grasp, too flustered to respond to his affections. "Y-you'll have to wait for that, though! For at least six years! _At least_!"

"Hm-hmmmmmmmmmm", he hummed in agreement, smirking and winking in his usual giddy, almost childlike way. "As long as you want."

* * *

Although they didn't talk about it often, the topic would still resurface every now and then. Despite not having had much contact with them (she only had her older brother for a sibling, and seldom did she see her younger relatives), Hiyori liked children, and had some decent knowledge on how to deal with them. She _was_ studying Medicine and _had_ taken up a few part-time jobs as a babysitter during high school, after all. Although she had never given motherhood much thought, the idea wasn't bad. She wasn't the kind of girl that dreams of being a mother from a young age; she just thought she'd eventually find her special someone and they'd eventually plan on having children. It was only natural… although it would be okay if it never happened, too. She wouldn't complain if it did, but Hiyori had many things to look forward to in life than just getting married and having a kid. Nevertheless, the only condition she imposed on herself was that she would not do it until she had, at least, a stable job after graduating college. Whenever she did have a child, she wanted to be able to provide for them properly. Besides, having a baby to care for during college would probably mess too much with her studies.

Of course, given the disparities between her condition (as a human, therefore, a mortal) and Yato's (a god, therefore, a nearly immortal supernatural being), the thought never even crossed her mind… until that day. After their talk, she caught herself thinking of what being a mother to a demigod would be like. Even if her boyfriend did say Japanese demigods tended to be born as normal humans, was that really it? What about the pregnancy, was it like a normal human's? What about her "snooze attacks", as her friends called them – would they still happen if she were pregnant? Would they affect the baby somehow? Would the kid grow normally?

Even if she didn't completely push the idea of having a child away (she found the idea itself endearing, even), she was very iffy about it. There were too many questions her knowledge alone could not answer, considering the whole existence of the "Far Shore" defied human science itself. It seemed too risky, both for her and for the hypothetical baby. Besides, they still had that issue – you know, the one regarding the enormous gap in her lifespan and her boyfriend's. Hiyori didn't expect to live longer than 90 years, and she knew for a fact that Yato would never kill her just to turn her into a shinki (something she didn't even want anyway – she had seen all frustrations and hardships Yukine and Daikoku went through; how much they suffered for still being human, yet unable to do regular human things. It was not something to aim for - and that's not even taking the whole memory loss thing into account). And they had come to terms with that. Yato had accepted that, one day, she would get old and gray and wrinkly, and her eyes and ears and memory could fail her, and her legs might not be able to take her places anymore. He knew it, and he accepted it, and he swore he'd be by her side during all of that, until her last moment. He had also come to terms with the fact that, unless he got his name out there somehow, he would probably disappear with her. His father defeated, she was his only believer. And a god cannot exist without human believers.

And he was okay with that.

But what would things be like if they had a kid? Would said kid have the lifespan of a normal human? What would their life be like? Would they be vulnerable to diseases? Would their soul detach from their body like Hiyori's?

If they lived on while she didn't, would that mean that so would Yato? How would he feel about that?

And, if they turned out to be normal humans indeed, how would he feel about watching not only his beloved, but also his children grow and wither?

Things were way too complicated. Of course, she thought he'd be an adorable dad, despite the terrible experience he had had with his own. She'd seen him in jobs that involved entertaining or taking care of little kids, and it turned out he was pretty good with them. There was also the fact he often acted like an excited kid himself, and when he didn't, he posed as a quirky (and ridiculously proud) parent figure to Yukine. Even if he was chronically unemployed and the most he made in extremely lucky days was a few hundred yen, he was a good person (god?) who had grown a lot since she first met him. If they were to have children, he would do absolutely anything for them, she was sure of it. But their situation was far more complex than just "would we treat our kids right or not".

Although those ideas alone already pointed her towards a 'no', she still decided to talk to him about it. He _had_ seemed a little enthusiastic about it, after all.

"That? Oh, I was joking with you," he said with a grin, before averting his gaze. Hiyori noticed his cheeks were faintly tainted pink. "Not gonna lie, though, the idea is kinda exciting. I guess spending time with you is getting me into these human lifestyle things, heh." Might have been just her mind, but she swore his voice sounded slightly… disappointed, at that? Sad, maybe? "But as you said, there's still too much left unclear. And if there's something you don't want, then neither do I." He held her closer, nuzzling her neck. Hiyori thought it was amazing how, despite the fact they'd been in a relationship for well over a year, little gestures like those still made her feel all funny inside. "And just the two of us is fine, right? We have Yukine, too. He is like our son, you know. We even had to go through his rebel stage, remember? Just skipped over the night-crying, diaper-changing part!"

Hiyori giggled. Yeah, he was right. She had always seen Yukine as a little brother of sorts, but as she grew older, she found her feelings turning more and more maternal towards him. And they were better off that way, right? She wouldn't have to go through nine months of extreme discomfort followed by hours of painful labor; she wouldn't have to go through sleepless nights and dirty diapers as Yato had mentioned; she wouldn't have to worry about her kids being bullied at school or getting sick or going through any sort of mundane human suffering. So it was all for the best, right?

Right?

* * *

The surprise itself came years later. Hiyori, at the age of 25, had already graduated and started her 2-year traineeship, the final requirement for becoming a doctor in Japan. After that, she'd be ready to dive straight into her career as a physician. Although the incident from years ago hadn't been completely forgotten and many people still gave her skeptical or judgmental looks at the mention of the name Iki, things had definitely cooled down and started improving little by little. Now that she was fully equipped with her degree and gaining much more knowledge and experience, she was determined to give the Iki General Hospital just the right kick it needed to go back to being as prosperous as it once had been.

They weren't really sure when it happened, though. It might have been during their Christmas celebration, when, after a gathering with her family, Hiyori went to Kofuku's place to party with her friends from the other side. She and Yato definitely drank a little too much and got rather frisky that night, so it could have happened. Or maybe it was in some other occasion at around the same timeframe and they didn't notice. Maybe something broke or slipped and they paid it no mind because she was on the pill anyway. But maybe, out of all minimal possibilities of failing, it chose _that exact time_ to do so. Or could it be that human medicine just doesn't work against "godly" genetic material…?

Either way, when Hiyori first found her period was late in January, she didn't get that concerned. It had happened before, due to health issues or college-induced stress. It was probably nothing, right? Just a side effect to the pressure she was constantly going through. She had been feeling more tired lately, and her traineeship didn't make it any better. It would come eventually, right?

Wrong. And when she decided to stop ignoring the little voice raising the "pregnancy" possibility flag in the corner of her mind and bought some home tests just to be sure, she felt her heart skip a beat in shock. She was, indeed, pregnant.

The feelings she felt back then were strange. On one hand, her mind was filled with "what" and "how" and "it can't be". It had been a while since she had last talked, or even thought about that properly. She and Yato had pretty much settled they wouldn't try to have kids. In the past few years, she'd only mentioned the subject when approached by her family (_Hiyori, isn't there anyone you like at all? Don't you want to give us grandchildren?_), and even then she would only give vague, negative answers (_Oh, who knows? I want to focus on my studies/job right now, but maybe in the future?_). The thought would come back to her every once in a while, but merely as wishful thinking, and she would soon put it aside, considering the possibility scrapped already. The possibility of an unplanned pregnancy had never, not even once, crossed her mind.

But now, there she was. Pregnant. With some demigod baby. And the strangest thing was that, despite all those risks that had made her so worried in the past, she didn't feel scared. Maybe it was because she had just found out and it takes a while for such big news to sink in, but she felt... calm. Glad, even. Still confused - she couldn't wrap her head around how the hell that had happened - and definitely surprised, but not uneasy or scared.

_But this is so unexpected_, a tiny, anxious voice spoke up inside her head. _How did it happen? And, more importantly, what will happen now? There's still so much you don't know. So many uncertainties. Why even consider taking this further? Just go and get an abortion already!_

As those thoughts struck her head, though, fear and apprehension grew in her heart. All of those reactions caught her off guard – why had she felt so placid upon seeing she was pregnant, and why did the thought of an abortion cause her pain? Could it be she actually wanted this? Could it be all those moments she jokingly entertained the idea actually went much deeper than she thought?

_But_, the tiny voice insisted, _what about all risks that made you resolutely decide against children years ago? If you do have that baby, what if it is born with some peculiar trait normal humans don't usually have? What if it faces different issues you're not prepared for due to Yato's "genetic" _(do gods even have genes?!)_ influence? Speaking of which, how will he even feel about that, too?_

Then, as that last question was raised, that one line he once dropped slowly came back to her: "_the idea is kinda exciting. I guess spending time with you is getting me into these human lifestyle things_"… or something like that. In an unexpected flashback, she compared the changes in his personality throughout the years, from when they first met (_10 years ago… wow, it's been that long already?_) to the current moment. She remembered how he used to be much more self-centered and vain, and how he thought of nothing but going with the flow, earning his 5 yen per request, changing shinki way more often than he changed that jersey of his, until the day would come when he'd have enough for a shrine. He used to dream of being a famous god who's idolized by people.

But he changed over the years. Eventually, what filled his dreams was no longer fame, but happiness. Having a huge shrine and thousands of followers was no longer his priority, as his goal was now to be a god of fortune. Of course, he still wanted a bigger shrine and more recognition, but he also wanted to make people happy. He eventually found and stuck with people that valued him – Yukine; Kofuku and Daikoku; Hiyori herself, obviously… He even made up with Bishamon and her "family". Not only that, he eventually learned how to treasure those people. His background didn't help much in that – he had spent hundreds of years in constant touch with no one but an unscrupulous, manipulative father and a dissimulated stray shinki. He had always been lonely and most signs of affection he'd received were either fake or twisted, sans Sakura. When he first realized just how precious these new people were to him, mainly Hiyori and Yukine, he didn't really know how to show it. She remembered feeling freaked out when, after their first visit to Capyper Land, he suddenly went full-on overly clingy boyfriend on her (and they weren't even dating!). But he learned. He grew up. His old personality still showed, obviously – he was still playful, dramatic and ambitious, even a bit greedy and conceited at times, and still held that strange childish innocence that made him so eager about amusement parks and fairy tales and Santa Claus. But he had grown a lot. He had changed a lot.

He had become much more human. Like a normal one, that is.

Could it be he had become so much like a human that his goals were now more like a human's, too? Could it be he wanted to start a family of his own? A real one, even if as a way to make up for his own terrible upbringing by his "father"?

Hiyori tried picturing it. She had done so in the past, when the possibility of pregnancy was first brought up, but she hadn't done it in so long. She imagined them living in their own house – her, Yato, Yukine, and a baby. She imagined the two boys taking care of the kid while she was at work: playing with dolls or toy cars or both at the same time, watching cartoons, telling silly stories and teaching about the world out there. She imagined the kid – a boy or a girl or neither or both; gender didn't matter to her – with shiny brown hair and dark eyes, and a wide smile akin to a certain god's.

Even if that tiny voice still tried to shake her, that image made her feel warm inside. Just like it had before, years ago.

Hiyori took a deep breath. Despite how calm she felt - almost numb, as if she'd heard some distant acquaintance was pregnant instead of her - that anxious bit of her brain had established a sort of latent conflict in her mind. She acknowledged the possibilities, but everything still felt so unreal that most of her thoughts and emotions hadn't quite caught up yet.

She put the tests away with a sigh and decided to go out for a bit - visit friends or have a bite to eat or simply take a stroll in the park, she wasn't sure. Anything to help her think more clearly and realistically.

She knew she wouldn't be able to decide on anything right away.

* * *

**A/N: Weeelp. I've edited this chapter so many times, I'm still not fully satisfied with it. Hope things are somewhat consistent and there's not much ooc-ness going on, though. (In case there is, please point out! Constructive criticism and further discussion about the characters are always welcome.)**

**Yep, as you can probably tell, this is a mixture of headcanons and twisted-logic-in-order-to-make-this-scenario-possible-somehow. Not everything I wrote matches my personal opinions.** **And yes, while I do reference a bunch of actual info and events provided in the manga, there are many I just pulled out of my ass. Don't take my word for everything pft**

**Next chapter: Hiyori finally processes what's going on and breaks the news to the dad-to-be, and some character analysis thing on Yato. STAY TUNEDDDDD**


	2. Chapter 2 - symptoms

**A/N: ****AAAA im really sorry this took so long, but i made some last-minute changes to the previous chapter and had to nearly rewrite this one... the fact i had a move away to the other side of the atlantic didnt help my schedule much, either :c**

**BUT ANYWAY HERE'S THE YATO-CENTERED CHAPTER**

**Warnings for this chapter: mild swearing, brief mentions of abuse (yato's dad strikes his thoughts yet again) and cheesiness all-around**

* * *

It took Hiyori two weeks to break it out to Yato. She knew she should tell him right away. The days when they concealed things from each other were long gone, and not immediately talking to him did feel strange. However, she wanted to clear her head, get her thoughts in order first. She also took the time to schedule an appointment with a doctor and take a blood test, which only confirmed what the home test had already stated. Nothing new on that front… And, as expected, nothing new on the "what to do" front either.

As days passed by, she had finally managed to process the news, and her mind was now conflicted. On one hand, she felt anxious. She knew having a child was no easy task, and though she was no teen, it was still unexpected and she was still young. She had many questions pop in her mind—what about her job? She still had a few months of traineeship ahead. Would it be okay for her to get a leave so early on, right when she was about to get started on her actual job? Even if she had a head start with her family's hospital, she knew things could be a little tough in the first few years. Wouldn't that be detrimental to the child's development? Would she have enough money to provide for them (since Yato was a goner in that respect), or would she have to get some help from her family? Speaking of which, what the hell would she tell them? Besides thinking she was single (she had tried telling her parents about Yato, but they would always forget about him), her mother was quite "old school". No way she'd tell them "it just happened" with "someone". She'd have to come up with a lie to cover that up (when the people at the clinic she went to asked, she simply said she didn't feel comfortable talking about it). And to start saving money, and looking into the maternity leave issue, and ugh there was just _so much_ to do…

Despite all of those issues, however, she felt strangely… happy. She had realized that, yes, though it might be hard, it _was _something she wanted. During those two weeks following her finding out about it, she'd often catch herself making plans in her mind, or imagining what that kid would be like. She'd look at Yato as he teased Yukine, saying things like "_aww, look at you, all grown up! I'm so proud!_" or _"Geez, you're turning out just like me!_", and she'd imagine someone else with them—the same person she'd thought about before: brown hair, dark eyes, a childish and laid-back grin—who would also be the target of Yato's praise/teasing along with the young shinki. And, whenever she found herself in those moments, she smiled and a warm, serene feeling washed over her heart, silencing her uneasiness.

Strangely enough, however, she was no longer bothered by all fears regarding half-god children she'd felt in the past. As she looked back on them and how scared they used to make her feel, she almost felt like laughing. Yato _had _said Japanese "demigods" were born as normal humans, right? There was no reason for him to lie to her about that. She trusted him.

And that is why, as soon as she got her test results two weeks after taking the ones she'd bought at the drugstore, she decided to finally tell him.

"Hey, Hiyori," Yato called curiously as he rolled next to her in bed. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and they'd just been lying around, watching some movie and having snacks. That is, Yato was having snacks, while Hiyori would only pick something every now and then. She'd begun to feel a bit nauseous in the past few days, and was trying not to overdo it with the food. "Is it me, or your soul hasn't slipped much lately? I think it's been a while since I've last seen your cord."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Yeah, you're right. I hadn't noticed that." It was true, she hadn't. Although many accidents still happened, Hiyori had learned how to control her soul leakages better. In the past few years, she'd been able to leave her body almost at will (she had given up on having Yato fix her long ago, but she put extra effort in trying to control it during her college years. She was terrified of the possibility of having random snooze attacks as a doctor). However, now that Yato mentioned it, no accidents had happened _at all_ as of late, and she hadn't even felt like doing it.

"Have you learned how to control it completely?"

"N-no…" Her voice came out small, almost a whisper. She was lost in thought once again. She was pretty sure that was happening because of the pregnancy, and the time to tell him about it had finally come. Though she'd been preparing herself for that, she still hadn't managed to bring herself to say it, even if they'd spent the whole day together. And, as the time finally came, she found herself surprisingly nervous. She knew Yato loved her and would help her think the situation through (or at least he'd _try _to—after all those years, Hiyori was well-aware her boyfriend was definitely not the best at giving advice); why was she so tense? She could even feel her heart beating faster as she tried to think of how to say it. She was also staring blankly at some random point in front of her while her hands fidgeted slightly at the sheets, but she didn't notice those reactions.

Yato did, though. "Hiyori?" He called, then sat next to her and softly held her fidgety hand, his cyan eyes looking at her with clear worry. "Are you alright? Did something happen?"

She gulped, though her throat felt dry. _Just go for it, idiot._

"I'm pregnant," she replied. It was probably because she was still somewhat lost in thought, or maybe because that feeling of anxiety blurred her perception of the world, but her response was way too low, a mere whisper. She didn't realize it.

"You what?" Yato asked, eyebrows furrowing. He _thought _he had heard something, but it couldn't possibly be…

She blinked, coming back to the real world for good. Sigh. "I'm pregnant," she repeated, now in a normal tone. One that sounded much more normal than she expected, in fact.

She turned her eyes to him, her gaze anxiously awaiting his reply. He just stared back blankly. A few seconds passed. He blinked.

Once. "Eh?"

Twice. His eyes widened a little. "Eeeh?"

One more time, and now surprise was written all over his face. "EEEEEEH?!"

She sighed, a little smile spreading across her lips. Of course his reaction would be something like that. She probably wouldn't recognize him the day he stopped being so dramatic.

"A-are you serious, Hiyori?!" More than surprised, his voice sounded _incredulous_. Confused, too. "But we've been so careful, haven't we?! So how…?!"

"I'm just as confused, really," she said, her voice much quieter in comparison to his. As she looked at his expression, she realized she'd never seen him so wide-eyed. "But it happened. About two months ago, apparently."

"_WHAT_," he nearly screamed. She closed her eyes, holding back not to massage her temples. What a noisy boyfriend she got. After blinking about as fast as a hummingbird's wings for a few seconds, he finally looked down at their hands. He was still holding hers. "You've known for that long…?" His tone was now much lower, as well as noticeably hurt.

"No, silly," she responded, trying not to sound as if she were scolding him. Hiyori hiding things from him was a sensitive issue to Yato. Although he knew sometimes it was necessary, there had been times in the past in which she outright pushed him away, or simply _forgot _(oh, dreadful word!) to tell him important things. So, even if he understood, it still hurt. "I've only known for a few weeks, and it was only yesterday that I got to be sure about it." She squeezed his hand softly in a sign of comfort. "I didn't want to tell you until I was positive about it."

"I see." The corners of his lips quirked up in a small, relieved smile. One second later, he was back to his hyper self. "Wait, so you're _sure_? Like, _100%_? You're really pregnant?!"

"Yeah, yeah." Sigh.

"So it's true."

"Yeah."

"It's real."

"Yep."

"It's an actual thing."

"_Yes, _Yato, it is." She replied definitively, giggling. Though his utter shock could be annoying, she found it strangely endearing. Cute, even.

For a few seconds, no one said anything, and her gaze never once left his face. His, on the other hand, roamed around slowly, as if he were in some sort of catatonic state.

"…Wow," was all he managed to say after a few seconds of silence, making Hiyori chuckle. He blinked, and then looked back at her. "And how do you feel about that?"

"Well, about that…" She sighed, trying to organize her thoughts into something coherent to say. She had a feeling he hadn't fully taken it in yet, much like her when she first found out. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. It's been a while since we last talked about this, right?"

"Yeah, it's been years," he pondered. "You didn't want kids back then."

"No."

"You still think so now?"

Deep breath. Sigh.

"No, I… I don't," was her slow, unsteady reply. She was still trying to properly organize her messy thoughts. "I've been thinking about it, you know, these past few weeks. Trying to get my thoughts straight. And I'm still trying. I mean, it was so unexpected, even I am not sure what to really think yet." A pause. She looked down, her fingers tapping on her lap before her gaze met his again. "I think… Things might be a little hard, especially in the beginning… Since I'm just getting started on my career and all… But I still feel okay with that." She could feel her heart beating faster. Saying those things aloud was pretty different from just thinking them. The fact she was _saying _them made the whole situation all the more _real_. "I still feel like I want to try and do this, Yato." A small smile crept its way onto her lips. "What about you? What do you think?"

He was also smiling—one of those smiles we barely notice when we're the ones smiling. A simple and small smile, yet a truly content one.

"Things might be hard, yeah. But you're not alone, Hiyori. You have me. And Yukine, and I bet even Kofuku and Daikoku would like to give us a hand. Oh, and your family, of course."

"That's true… Don't you think Kofuku and Daikoku would feel a little hurt, though?" Hiyori asked, cautious. It was true the Binbougami and her shinki loved kids (though it was mostly the latter, actually), but she knew it hurt them a lot, too. Wouldn't it be mean to just rub it in Daikoku's face that "_hey, guess what, I'm from the same side as you and I'm having a kid_"? Wouldn't it be mean to keep asking for their support?

"I don't think Kofuku would mind," he replied. "They had their issues a long time ago, anyway. It's not like Daikoku flinches at every kid he sees in the street, or like he envies me for having a shinki as young as Yukine. They're strong, Hiyori. The past might poke some of their scars, but they keep moving forward either way."

"Right," she said in a whisper, her cheeks slightly warm all of a sudden. She could feel something in her chest—that "good nervousness" one feels when they're excited about something. "You haven't really answered, though, Yato. What do _you _think of this? I'm not the only one involved, you know."

"No, but you're the more important one," he pointed out. He scratched the back of his head as he answered her actual question. "Ah, it's so weird. I can't really tell what I'm feeling right now," he said, though the smile on his face had grown as he started speaking. "I'm still so surprised, but also… Excited? I think this is it? I mean, I never thought, for most of my life, that I'd even _want _to have a family, considering the one I came from was shit. _If _you can even call it a family." He paused for a second. Sigh. "But that's in the past. They're in the past, and I just want to move forward now. I want to make people happy, Hiyori, and that includes you," he glanced briefly at her stomach beneath the sheets, still flat as ever, "and the little one over there." Hiyori snickered at the cheesiness in what he said. At least it seemed like he meant it wholeheartedly. "This is really unexpected, and I feel kinda clueless, but I'm also… happy." He was fumbling with his words a bit, and she could tell, from the blush on his face, that he was getting embarrassed. But then his eyes met hers, and she recognized that little flame of pride and determination lighting in them. "Ah, either way, with you for a mom, I know our kid will be the coolest. I bet they'll Jungle Savate anyone who messes with them before they even learn how to speak!"

She giggled at the unexpected turn the conversation took, and he hugged her as he, too, laughed. It seemed things were really looking up. They certainly still had many uncertainties ahead of them, but for now, things would be fine.

She was not alone, after all.

* * *

It took Yato a few hours to go back home that day. After she gave him the news, he felt a wave of childish excitement brew through him as they kept talking about it, making plans and predictions (the only bit that managed to kill his mood being when Hiyori forbad him to buy clothes for their kid—partly because he'd better save the little money he had for more basic needs, but mostly because his fashion sense was a disaster. _"As if I'd entrust my child's clothes to someone who wears boots over a track suit"_, she said...). When he reluctantly left her place, however, he decided to take a walk before going back home. Much like what had happened to her, his thoughts were still in disorder, and things still felt too abstract, like they'd been playing pretend. He needed some time for himself.

So, as he walked away from her house in the opposite direction of the route he'd usually take to Kofuku's place, he tried to finally process what would happen in its entirety. He was going to be a father. He, a god. A broke god. A former god of calamity. _The_ Yato god. He. Would have a child with Hiyori. An actual one. A human one. A living one.

Many factors made it difficult for him to take that in. Throughout most of his existence, Yato had only had one parental figure, and said figure had been utter trash. He had raised him to be a monster, and it took many centuries of emotional confusion and abuse, as well as the death of a precious friend, for him to finally realize that what had been going on was wrong. And it took yet more centuries of what that old man called "rebel stage", plus a load of consequences on people that had nothing to do with it, for Yato to get the guts to stand up to the monster that raised him and wipe him out of the picture. Despite having lived over a thousand years, Yato could safely say he only started enjoying his existence in the past few decades—namely, when two special people walked into the scene: his valorous shinki, Yukine, and his precious friend (later girlfriend), Hiyori. Of course, there had been many other influences – Ebisu, for one, had a major impact on him, motivating him to change even more—but those two had always been there for him, to make him company and point him in the right direction (besides, obviously, saving his ass countless times).

That's why, for most of his existence, the idea of having a family never occurred to him. He was barely familiar with the concept, and though Sakura taught him about it, the thought of it made him uncomfortable after her death. Even when he came in touch with Bishamon's large family and Kofuku's case with Daigo—instances of Far Shore families besides his own—he still couldn't grasp it in its entirety. All of them had had issues because they tried to strive for those so-called "families": Yato's was completely dysfunctional; someone in Bishamon's betrayed her, blighting the goddess (and indirectly leading to the death of most of her shinki); and Daikoku felt nothing but suffering as time went by, thus blighting Kofuku as well. Whenever a god tried to incorporate the concept of "family" to their lifestyle, it brought nothing but negative consequences. So, as a "young" god (as in, "about 800 years old" young), he thought families were nothing but nuisances.

But he started interacting more with humans, and he saw maybe they weren't so bad. Of course, there were still some that were terrible – he did get requests to slay people who had murdered or abused their families, and he later saw it in Yukine's past, how troubled the boy was because of his father—which lead Yato to decide he'd treat his new shinki as his own son. He too had been brought up by an abusive "man", and sympathized with the boy's situation. He decided to remedy it, even if the kid himself couldn't (and would never be able to) remember it.

Still, he managed to understand them better. Even before Yukine's and Hiyori's influence, he got some requests that involved kids or parents. The concept of a "family" was finally etched onto his mind, and he saw it wasn't as bad as he thought. He learned that, if fucked up families existed, it was because of a few individuals in them, not because of the "family" system itself. Of course, he still thought gods weren't cut out for that, though.

As time passed by after meeting those two, however, his point of view definitely changed. As his relationships with others changed—not only with Yukine and Hiyori, but also with people he already knew, such as Kofuku, Daikoku, and even Tenjin and Bishamon—he found that, in a way, they were kind of like family. He was practically living at the Binbougami's with Yukine, and they all liked and helped each other, despite all of their little arguments and fights. They barely realized it, but they practically did everything a normal human family did (which included being there for each other and pulling each other's ears when needed). It was thanks to Hiyori that Yato realized it, for she was the one to point it out one day, as they all talked and jokingly argued as usual while having lunch. Everybody had seemed surprised, yet content, at her comment. It was true, after all.

By the time Hiyori broke the news to him, after all those years, he already knew what a real family was like, and he liked it. He liked that feeling of sharing and being there for others and having others be there for you. After all of his years of loneliness, it was the best thing he could've asked for. So, when he heard from her that she was carrying his child _and _willing to have it, a strange feeling awoke in his heart. But it wasn't a "bad strange"; it was, in fact, a "very good strange". It was good because of all the faith she put in them; because she believed they could get over all of those hardships and uncertainties together and work to raise that kid the right way.

He also felt happy for her—though their relationship was one of the things he treasured the most in his life, Yato would often curse himself for all things he'd deprive her of. Considering he was immortal, Hiyori would never go through certain mundane, _human _stages of life—she couldn't introduce him to her friends or her family (well, she _could_, but they always forgot about him shortly after); she couldn't count on him for certain financial or legal or social matters usually shared by spouses; they wouldn't get to grow old together… the list went on and on. And, out of all of those issues, one of the biggest was the fact Yato thought he'd never be able to give her children. Not because of his "biological" condition—he'd always known gods can have children with humans, and even if they couldn't, there were other ways Hiyori could have a child, such as adoption. But he didn't think she'd ever want to have kids with him. Him, a problematic, broke, juvenile god who wasn't good at anything besides slicing things up. Someone who had already brought her so much misfortune, who had mistreated her and creeped her out in the past, who had nearly ruined her life and gotten her killed countless times (then again, those were the reasons he couldn't believe it when she first confessed her feelings for him many years ago, too).

But it happened, and she was excited about it. Even if she acknowledged all of those flaws of his (she outright said so during those hours they spent daydreaming together), she still wanted to do this with his help. She'd get the chance to be a mother like any other human woman, and she believed in them, and it all made him happy.

Of course, he also had his own, selfish reasons. For one, he was delighted he even _had _the chance to do that: a chance to prove he could create, and raise, and make someone as happy as he wanted that child to be. Maybe it was actually a way for him to raise a huge middle finger to the dead "father" that tried controlling him and ruining his life. Maybe he just wanted to prove to that dead spirit that,_ hey, see this "god of calamity" you tried to create? This guy you tried to make into a killing machine? This creature you tried to manipulate into believing himself to be nothing but a walking disaster, a cloud of death and misfortune, when actually the only reason everyone suffered was _you_? Well, look at how he's living his life now. He has friends and a _family_ and is making people _happy_. How is that for a punch to the gut, you rotten old man?_

So maybe part of his happiness for getting that chance was out of spite for his past. And he acknowledged that. Very disappointed in himself for still letting such things get to him, but he did. It wasn't his only motivation, of course (besides everything he acknowledged, there was also a bit of irrational excitement and pride, something a normal human man would've probably felt – then again, there he was, picking those habits from humans), but he couldn't deny its existence.

Deep breath. Sigh.

_ Whatever_, he thought as he recalled the words he had told Hiyori when talking about Kofuku and Daikoku. _The past is in the past. _And, as he thought of that duo, a small smile showed on his lips. _Gotta be like them and keep moving forward._

* * *

**A/N: yet another chapter i changed way too much till i found it acceptable... hope yall liked it!**

**ON ANOTHER NOTE, in case you guys use tumblr, i made a blog for noragami discussion! its noragamiheadcanons dot tumblr dot com. feel free to drop by and share any hc or theory yall might have B)**

**Next up: not much character analysis. Just introducing the kid's dad to Hiyori's family, a wedding ceremony, and Yukine being... Yukine. STAY TUNED~**


	3. Chapter 3 - dissemination

**A/N: Warnings for this chapter: mild swearing and the amount of dorkiness that will give you emotional diabetes.**

**hope yall are into some grade A cheese bc thats all there is to this cheesy-ass chapter**

* * *

The first thing the couple did after the reveal was breaking it to Yukine – or rather… Yato did. When he got back home that same day, the young shinki noted how glad, yet calm, his master seemed. The god had already discussed it with Hiyori, and she had said he could go ahead and tell Yukine himself, if he wanted to. The boy was just as important to Yato as her, and she definitely saw him as a member of her own family too, so he had the right to be the first to know. So, as a response to the boy's remark on his demeanor, Yato said,

"Guess what, Yukine! You're getting a little sibling!"

Neither Yato's words, nor the stupid grin on his face, helped Yukine understand what the hell he was so happy about.

"What? What do you mean?" the short blond asked. His eyes, which had gone from mildly curious to very confused in a mere second, now widened in disbelief as a possibility hit him. "Wait. Don't tell me you're getting another shinki...? Just like that, out of the blue?!"

"No, no, that's not what I meant," the god reassured him, moving closer to ruffle his hair. "You know you're more than enough for me, my hafuri. I meant you're getting an _actual_ little sibling!" He then got his face closer to the boy's ear and said, in an excited whisper, "Hiyori's pregnant!"

"WHAT?! Are you kidding me?!" Yato shook his head, indicating that no, he wasn't. However, contrary to what he had anticipated, instead of congratulating him and jumping in excitement, Yukine grabbed his shirt, his golden eyes lit with furious disapproval. "_You knocked her up, you bastard?!"_

"Uuuuh, yeah?"

"What are you so happy about?!" Even though he was but a spirit and blood no longer flowed through his veins, his face was getting red, and Yato thought he could see a vein popping up beneath the messy hair on the boy's forehead. "You know how busy she's been! Besides, didn't she say she doesn't want kids anyway?! Wha-"

"Hey, hey, calm down, will you?" Yato cut his rambling short, grabbing the hand on his shirt and putting it down. "First off, I didn't do it on purpose, alright? It happened. Second, she's actually happy about it." It was now _his _time to give the shinki a reprimanding glare as he said, "you really think I'd be this happy if it was something Hiyori didn't want, you little prick?"

"Tch, you're right," the boy admitted, looking down. "Sorry for blowing up on you. I didn't know she had changed her mind, geez." He looked back up, letting out one of those bored teenager-like sighs. "If she's cool with it, that's alright, then. Congratulations, I guess?" His brows furrowed as he stared at his master in disapproval once again. This time, however, Yato could see he didn't mean it… maybe. "Though I'm kinda worried what kind of kid that will be, with a father like you… I just hope they don't inherit your sweaty hands or your inability to stick to a job!"

"Hey!" The god yelled, censoring him. "You were supposed to be happy for me, you know!"

"Ah, I got mad at first, but now I'm cool," he sighed heavily and sat back down on the floor, next to the book he had left aside when Yato came in. "If that's what you two want, I'm happy. A little more company will be nice. Just gotta prepare myself to play 'fatherly big bro', I guess. Since the kid's actual father is a whiny brat himself." Then finally, for the first time since he heard the news, a little smile formed on his lips – a side grin of sorts. "But I guess it'll be fine, having Hiyori for a mom."

Yato let out an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, true. But can't you put a little faith in me for a second?! I _raise _you, don't I?!"

The look he got in response shot metaphorical daggers so sharp there was no doubt they came from the human form of Sekki himself.

* * *

The months following the reveal passed by fast. Hiyori had constant checkups and did all tests she could, even those that weren't really needed, just to be safe. As Yato had said, however, all pointed out to a very normal human life developing inside her, and the young woman felt more and more at ease as time passed by.

After Yukine, she wanted her parents to be the next ones to know. Although she knew they didn't remember Yato, she decided against making up any sort of lie to cover his existence up. So she decided to take a chance and asked him to go meet them with her.

The meeting wasn't terrible, but it was far from being stellar. Yato knew how to be charismatic at times, so her parents liked his personality (despite thinking he might be a little too young, though Hiyori swore he was but a very juvenile-looking 24-year-old), but they did not seem pleased at all when she said he worked as a sort of "jack-of-all-trades" (_what makes you think they'll believe you're a god?_!, she had said when he protested before they got to her parents' house). Her mother was genuinely worried, wondering if he'd be able to provide for her precious daughter (her "little girl", who had her own job and would already turn 26 that year). Although Hiyori didn't like lying to her parents so much, they ended up having to make up a few lies to cover his financial situation, saying he was fairly successful in what he did and had many connections around the country (Yukine nearly died again from laughing when they told him about that).

After the visit in which she introduced him, she met with them once again, this time by herself. As she had expected, their memory of him had vanished, but she showed pictures on her phone to help them remember. And then, just as it was clear they recognized him-faintly, but still-she told them about her situation. She said she was pregnant.

Although her mother nearly passed out, her father was much more at ease with it. He showed some concern (_but isn't it too early, Hiyori? Isn't he a little too young for such a relationship with you?_), but as soon as he saw how determined his daughter seemed, he smiled. He knew how competent she was, and if she said that Yato fellow was reliable, he'd trust her judgment. Her mother took a little longer to convince, but as soon as she accepted the idea, she showered her daughter in affection, letting herself be carried away by the happiness of having her first grandchild. However…

"But, Hiyori, honey," she said, just as Hiyori got ready to go back to her own place, "are you two even married?"

The young woman felt her heart skip a beat.

"N-not really, mom," she replied, apprehensive. "But it's almost as if we were! We've been together for a while, and he'll move in with me soon, and-"

But the older woman would not hear of it. Hiyori knew very well that her mother was much slower than her father when it came to keeping up with modern social standards. And, in her head, having a child while not being married was simply unacceptable. Besides, what did that say about that young man, whatshisname? What kind of gentleman was he if he hadn't even proposed to her upon the prospect of having a child together?!

"But mom, we're actually engaged already!" The younger woman blurted out, in an attempt to make her mother keep quiet (as well as keep her from judging Yato so bad – _I mean, he really is no gentleman at all, but not because of _that_)._

Which wasn't totally a lie, in fact. She did remember the (_handmade!_) wedding dress he gave her back in the first Christmas they spent together (before they even started dating – once again, the guy had come off as creepy simply because he didn't know any better), and even after they started actually dating, he had brought it up again. And, in their second year together or so, he had proposed to her. She couldn't really understand why – he was a god, wasn't he? And wasn't marriage essentially a human formality? Why was he so worried about it? It's not like he even knew about the human world benefits of being married (the financial, legal and social status changes that came with it), and she certainly would not get tax benefits from marrying a creature from another realm who made a living by slicing invisible monsters and taking random part-time jobs.

But apparently it was important to him, not because of such mundane reasons, but for emotional ones. Marriage was a celebration of a couple's love and desire to be together for life, right? That's what mattered to him.

So they ended up making some adjustments to that old dress, then had a mini-wedding with their Far Shore friends under Suzuha's sakura tree, per Yukine's suggestion. It was simple and informal, with Kazuma for an improvised minister, and it ended in a total mess (as if one could expect any less from gathering a drunk Yato, an equally drunk Bishamon and an overexcited Goddess of Poverty). At least it wasn't as bad as their first gathering under that same tree (this time, the groom didn't kiss anyone besides his bride, luckily).

Nothing changed in the end, though. Hiyori still lived with her family at the time, so it was not like Yato could move in with her. She would definitely not move in with them either, given the lack of space and the fact her boyfriend/husband shared a room with his 14-year-old shinki. So, in the end, it had been just a slightly fancier gathering to make Yato happy.

It didn't change the fact that they were "married", though.

...Not like she could tell her mom about it. If the woman knew her daughter had had a mock wedding ceremony back when they didn't even know about her partner's existence, she'd freak out for sure.

"Oh, why didn't you tell me, sweetie!" The mother replied, seeming slightly relieved. "So when's the wedding? It would be better to have it before the baby comes, right? Although you're certainly going to… _grow _around the waist. Unless you plan on scheduling it for before that happens! You _will_ do that, right?"

Hiyori sighed. Turns out it'd take her even longer to get home…

* * *

In the end, she got married again. Or rather, she had another _wedding_, since she insisted she'd take care of further legal details later. It was a small ceremony, with no one but family and closest friends, and a bunch of shinki and deities that posed as Yato's family (with Mayu as his sister, Yukine as his brother – _we're all adopted,_ they said when her parents pointed out how different they looked – and a few of Bishamon's shinki as his friends. Kofuku only watched from a distance, as Daikoku forbad her from actually joining in). They requested Tenjin to play minister this time (it was much simpler and cheaper than an actual one) and both wore the same outfits from their first wedding (with more adjustments made to Hiyori's dress, given her pregnant belly already showed a bit). Planning had been extremely rushed and they could not thank all of those Far Shore people enough for backing them up, but in the end things turned out alright. Now, in fact, her family even had permanent register of Yato's existence: a framed picture of Hiyori with him was now next to other family pictures on a drawer in their living room. Well, of course, they'd often forget the details about him – his name or job – but they would always remember his face and the fact he was married to their daughter. And, well, the fact they could call him whenever they needed anything, and since "they were family", he would only charge 5 yen.

Shortly after the wedding, Yato moved in with Hiyori. Yukine had to come along, for it's definitely not good for a shinki to live apart from his master. Since the only guest room was being refurbished into a baby room, the boy moved to the small attic, pretty much the same as back at Kofuku's. The difference was that he had the whole attic to himself now, since Yato slept with Hiyori (how she managed to stand the god's constant sleep-talk was beyond him). Things felt a bit lonely without Daikoku and Kofuku's constant presence, but Yukine still worked part-time with them, so they saw each other frequently.

The following week, Hiyori took some more tests. She was now around her fifth month, and that was the day she'd get to know the baby's sex. She could've found it out sooner, but since things seemed pretty normal so far, she spent a little longer without checkups than she should've due to the whole wedding issue. It had drained her time, energy and money well enough.

As she found out, however, it was not _one _baby, but _two_. Twins. Dizygotic female twins, to be precise.

When she left the clinic, Yato and Yukine were waiting outside. They had left on a request that ended up taking much longer than expected, and she was already having her appointment when they were finally done with it. Yato wanted to barge into the clinic anyway and look for her, but Yukine stopped him and said it was better to wait.

"We've got some news, guys," she said, still not quite believing it herself, "turns out we're not having just one… But two. Two girls, actually."

Yukine let his mouth fall open in surprise. Yato's eyes looked like they'd pop out of their sockets. Mere seconds later, it was like someone had plugged him into a high-volt battery, for he was bombarding her with all sorts of excitable, energetic questions. It overwhelmed Hiyori and made Yukine's head hurt. He kicked his master in the shin.

* * *

**A/N: no surprises here for those of you who've read 'public service announcements'. its a lil one-shot featuring the kiddy twins already.**

**also sorry for the disappointement in case yall didnt read 'psa' and were expecting them to have a boy, but i literally cant write male kids growing up, and i might do more stuff with these characters. my apologis ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯**

**UP NEXT: Yato goes on an angst trip and Hiyori gives birth. ITS FINALE TIME YAAAAAS**


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